Best headphones for the holidays

If you're looking for a new set of headphones to give as a gift this holiday season, the first thing you'll notice is that you're faced with a multitude of options. There's no shortage of headphones, which is why our "Best headphones for the holidays" round-up has so many products in it.

You can check out that full round up, but I've also cobbled together this list of top picks for those who prefer brevity -- and fewer options.

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Sony's WH-1000XM3, the third generation of Sony's excellent wireless noise-canceling headphones is more comfortable and has even better performance. It's currently our top-rated noise-canceling headphone.

Jabra's Elite Active 65t are among the top truly wireless earphones and are superior to Apple's AirPods in some ways. The step-down Elite 65t earphones aren't quite as durable, but there isn't a huge difference in quality and they sometimes go on sale.

AfterShokz' bone-conduction wireless headphones gets better with each generation, and the Trekz Air is the company's best headphone yet.

The big benefit of the technology is that thanks to its open design, you can hear what's going on around you while listening to music or speaking on the phone. That openness allows runners and bikers to hear traffic, an important safety feature. And some race coordinators don't allow you to wear anything in your ears, so a headphone like the Trekz Air ($150 at Amazon) comes in particularly handy for people who need to listen to music while they run.